Will a 185/65/16 fit?

[wyraider]

A buddy of mine bought my FJ, wants to swap rear tire to a 185/65/16, will it fit, if not why? Thanks:-)

[Firehawk068]

Stock width is a 150.
Switching to a 185:
(1) You may run into interference with the chain, and the edge of the tire.
(2) The stock wheel is only 3.5 inches wide. The tire will be extremely pinched trying to fit it to that rim. (it would gain you no extra usable tread width)
      You may not even be able to fit it on that wheel at all.

Those that run a 180 tire, have switched to a 17x5.5" wheel.
It barely fits with just a bit of chain clearance.
I have heard of some being able to use a 190 by spacing the chain out away from the wheel, and at the countershaft sprocket.

[the fan]

What brand of tire? The Tire manufacturer will show the recommended rim sizes.

[the fan]

I looked up that tire size online from Multiple mfgs.

Looks like it is recommended for a 5" wide rim so I am going to say no way.

I have seen riders use tires on a rim .5" undersized without issue other than a pinched profile and arguably reduced performance but I don't think it will fit on a rim 1.5" undersized

[Arnie]

My van uses that size tire on a 6" rim.
I have never seen metric tires for bikes that are sized ending in 5 as in 185, 155 etc.
But that is a common size for cars.

[red]

A buddy of mine bought my FJ, wants to swap rear tire to a 185/65/16, will it fit, if not why? Thanks:-)

WYraider,

It's a waste of time and effort.  Tell him to get a set of Pirelli Sport Demons or Avon radials, in the correct sizes. 
He will never look back, except maybe to laugh.

Cheers,
Red

[casper]

May I ask,  Wil a 160 fit on a standard rim with a standard swingarm?

[FJmonkey]

May I ask,  Wil a 160 fit on a standard rim with a standard swingarm?

It will likely fit, but it is intended for a wider wheel. This means it will not have the intended profile as it will be pinched a little tighter to the narrower rim. Are you having trouble finding the correct tire sizes?

[casper]

Yes. I'm from South Africa and the 150/80-16 is not freely available here anymore. And if you can find it, it is ridiculously expensive. The front is no problem though.

[FJmonkey]

Yes. I'm from South Africa and the 150/80-16 is not freely available here anymore. And if you can find it, it is ridiculously expensive. The front is no problem though.

Have you considered upgrading the rear wheel to a 17"? Should be an easier tire size to find.

[Arnie]

Avon made/makes a 160/80x16 that will fit the 3.5x16 OEM rim.
Before many started changing to a 17" GSXR or FZR rim, it was pretty widely used and liked.

If you don't need or want a soft sticky (and low life) tire, I think that Metzler
makes a Marathon tire in that size that will fit as well.
Try checking at a HD dealer for a 150/80x16 tire as several of their bikes used
that size before PHAT tires became all the rage.

Arnie